OAKLAND, Calif. Head-Royce led 51-48 before Del Norte scored the final six points to win 54-51 on Wednesday. Four of those six points came at the free throw line. The loss dropped the Jayhawks to 12-12 and extended their losing streak to two games.
Head-Royce opened with the first six points. Sam Gulaid scored off a turnover, Tucker Peay added a second-chance basket and an unidentified starter converted another turnover. Peay's basket, assisted by Ezra Goldfarb, made it 12-6. Del Norte answered with an 11-0 run that included three 3-pointers and took its largest lead of the game at 17-12.
Tua Montoya hit a 3-pointer from Peay to cut the deficit to 17-15. After a Del Norte basket made it 19-15, the Jayhawks went on a 10-0 run. Peay scored inside, Montoya tied the game at 19 with a basket off a turnover, and Head-Royce kept turning steals into points to lead 25-19. The lead reached seven twice: at 27-20 on a Montoya basket and at 30-23 on a Nick Taubes 3-pointer assisted by Peay. Del Norte then scored seven straight points to tie the game at 30 and later led 34-32 after two free throws. Sanjay Ernst answered with back-to-back baskets for a 36-34 lead, Montoya made two free throws and Ernst scored off a turnover to make it 42-38.
Del Norte then went on an 8-0 run, which included two 3-pointers, and led 46-42. Taubes scored on a feed from Peay, and Ernst hit a 3-pointer, also assisted by Peay, to put the Jayhawks back in front 47-46. After Del Norte went ahead 48-47, Peay scored off a turnover and Taubes added a basket for a 51-48 lead. Head-Royce did not score again. Del Norte made two free throws, scored a go-ahead basket and made two more free throws to close out the game.
Peay led Head-Royce with 12 points, 14 rebounds, six assists and three steals. Ernst added 10 points off the bench on 4-of-7 shooting. Montoya scored nine points with four assists and made both of his free throws. Taubes also had nine points, along with three steals and a block. The unidentified starter scored six points on 3-of-4 shooting and added six steals and two blocks. Idan Benharush chipped in three points.
Head-Royce made 17 steals and forced 16 turnovers, and it outscored Del Norte 16-10 in points off turnovers. The difference came at the free throw line and the 3-point line. Del Norte made 10 of 15 free throws, while the Jayhawks made 4 of 10, and Head-Royce was called for 20 fouls to Del Norte's seven. Del Norte also made 6 of 15 3-pointers, compared with 3 of 20 for Head-Royce. The Jayhawks shot 40 percent from the field (22-55) to Del Norte's 41.3 percent, and they were outrebounded 28-24. The Head-Royce bench scored 13 points.
With the loss, Head-Royce is 12-12 for the 2025-26 season.